Last year was a bittersweet season for Hendrick Motorsports. One of the reasons why it was sweet was that Hendrick Motorsports got their 300th win through the hands of William Byron at Texas Motor Speedway. However, the main reason why it was more bitter than sweet was because two of its star drivers, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman, went winless and also were out of the playoffs.
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Whatever the reason might be, it’s not right to judge the abilities of a driver based on just a single season. As much as that is true, both these drivers are the front faces of the winningest team in NASCAR. And with that comes the burden of never-ending expectations. The duo has to regain their lost momentum and prove themselves this year. But just how crucial is it for them to win? Let’s hear what HMS legend Steve Letarte had to say.
“It is uncomfortable, right? Not winning at a company that basically, I say has everything,” said Letarte. “Let me just say they want for kind of nothing. They have all the resources; they have all the stuff.”
He recalled HMS Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon saying that the latter was happy about Kyle Larson and Byron making it to the championship 4. However, he also remembered how Mrs. Hendrick said, “I can’t believe we didn’t have four (cars)”. Letarte explained, “What she means is she sees what they have. She is not in charge of running the business, but she sees everything that her husband and all the executives put into it and it’s a lot.”
Despite the pressure on their shoulders, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman have the constant support of their boss
Luckily, amidst all their miseries, Rick Hendrick did not give up on his drivers. Just as NASCAR was about to wrap up its 2023 season, Mr. Hendrick rooted for his friends to end the season on a strong note to lay a foundation for an even stronger one the following year. He said, “You just have to put your arm around them and say look, ‘this happened. Now let’s get ready for next year. Let’s see if we can get better every single week as the year goes on. These races that are left. Let’s see if we can get in the top 10, get in the top five and win a race.”
Hendrick did exactly what’s expected of a leader. He stood for his drivers when they needed him the most. In a fast-paced sport like NASCAR, it’s extremely difficult to catch up even after missing a couple of races, let alone six races that Elliott missed and three races that Bowman did.
The Class of 2017 Hall of Famer also extended his support towards the crew chiefs of his drivers and said, “To Alan (Gustafson) and Blake (Harris), we have to say guys, ‘we are 100 percent behind you. We know this is going to work. We just got to keep our heads up. There’s no pressure.” Needless to say, Rick Hendrick is doing his best to reduce the pressure on his best drivers.
